The Land of Dreams (Part One)
by Starflight98
Summary: Twilight and her friends are sent to Saddle Arabia to solve a catastrophic issue. Joining them are Celestia's new student, and a pony from another world, literally. But they soon find out that their assignment is a lot harder than they first thought. R
1. Worried Mindset

"GAH!"

Twilight Sparkle burst awake from a nightmare she'd had many times since returning to Equestria from Canterlot High.

Four months had transpired since her coronation as a princess. One month later, she and her friends had gone to The Crystal Empire to attend the Grand Royal Summit. In the middle of the night, a unicorn pony named Sunset Shimmer had stolen her crown, a powerful magical element. Twilight had pursued her through a magical portal in the shape of a full sized mirror. Despite Princess Celestia's orders that Twilight go alone, Spike had panicked, and gone after her. On the other side, Twilight and Spike were able to retrieve her crown and return three days later.

Twilight was an alicorn. A pony with the wings of a pegasus and the horn of a unicorn, giving her the ability to fly and use magic. Originally, Twilight had been a unicorn, with only the ability to use magic. It was the night before her coronation that she gained her wings.

Twilight crawled out of bed and opened the curtains. A wall of sunlight poured through the window and temporarily blinded her. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she looked outside. High overhead, Twilight's friend Rainbow Dash was clearing away the clouds. Her coat was a light cerulean blue and her mane was striated with the colors of the rainbow.

Twilight trotted down the stairs to the library. She had well over one hundred books. Twilight loved to read. She would often take any random book off the shelf and read it without even knowing it.

As Twilight walked to the door, the cast her mind to the plans she and made for the day. She and her friends were supposed to have a picnic this afternoon for lunch, but Twilight thought that the picnic would have to wait for some reason. And whenever Twilight had such a suspicion about something, she was usually right .

First she had to pick up an order of cupcakes from the local bakery, Sugarcube Corner. Then she had to return to the library and organize (and shelf) the pile of new books that had arrived from Canterlot. Third, she needed to get some more writing quills, or should she do that after picking up the cupcakes?

Twilight continued to organize, prioritize, and re-organize her plans, when she spotted her friend Fluttershy trotting towards her. Fluttershy was a pegasus, like Rainbow, but she had a much longer mane and tail. Her coat was a light pale yellow and her mane and tail were light pink.

"Good morning, Twilight," Fluttershy said as she drew near.

"Is it" Twilight thought. "Good morning."

"... W-where are you of to this morning?"

"I'm off to the bakery," Twilight asked. "Wanna come?"

Fluttershy was slow to respond. "Oh, uh, o-okay…"

Twilight shrugged. "I just hope Mrs Cake didn't add an extra cupcake this time."

"What makes you say that?" Fluttershy inquired. "...No, never mind."

Twilight hurried on to Sugarcube Corner. The bakery looked like a life sized gingerbread house, decorated with various sweets. The roof especially was covered with fake frosting while peppermints dotted the outside walls. Inside, Twilight found Mrs. Cake. Mrs. Cake and her husband, Mr. Cake, ran the bakery, while Twilight's friend, Pinkie Pie, sat for their foals, Pound Cake, a pegasus, and Pumpkin Cake, a unicorn.

"Good morning, dearie," Mrs. Cake greeted Twilight. "I have your cupcake order ready, and I only put twelve in the box."

"Oh, thank you," Twilight replied, her mood improving.

"HELLOOOOOO Twilight!" Pinkie's voice called from upstairs. The bright pink pony came sliding down the banister (backwards, perfectly balanced), with her pet baby alligator, Gummy, clinging to her tail. The earth pony backflipped off the bottom of the banister and alit smoothly beside Twilight.

"Good morning Pinkie. Hello, Gummy," Twilight said greeting them, taking a step back.

There was a pause. Gummy's eye twitched.

"Gummy says 'hi'," Pinkie informed Twilight.

Twilight collected her order of cupcakes and trotted outside with Pinkie tagging along.

"So, anything from Princess Celestia, this morning?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"No," Twilight admitted, "But I can't help but think that something will come up today, possibly before noon."

"Hmm, my Pinkie Sense doesn't say anything." Pinkie had the ability to predict strange and spontaneous events in the immediate future.

Suddenly, Pinkie's tail started to twitch. "Twilight! DUCK!"

Twilight dropped to the ground and covered her head with her wings. Pinkie's 'Twitchy Tail' usually signified an object or pony was about to fall. It could be anything from a frog landing on Twilight's face, or Twilight falling into a ditch. (Both had happened, subsequent to being predicted by Pinkie.)

Then, a ball landed on Twilight's back and bounced away. Twilight lifted her head and was promptly soaked. Twilight looked up to see Rainbow Dash rolling around on a cloud, laughing hysterically.

"Ha! You fall for that every time!" Rainbow giggled.

"Now Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy scolded her. Twilight had forgotten she was there. "That wasn't very nice!"

"Yeah, and…?" Rainbow asked.

"And you now owe me a dozen cupcakes," Twilight cut in, checking the cupcakes she had bought, now soggy and water logged."

"Ugh, fine," Rainbow groaned. She flew off towards Sugarcube Corner.

When Twilight got back to the library, she found that all of the new books had been put away, and two boxes of new quills sat on the table.

"I got the quills you needed," Spike informed Twilight. Spike was a baby dragon. He had purple scales and green spines. Spike usually wrote Twilight's letters to Princess Celestia in Canterlot. He was also her personal assistant in the library.

"Oh, uh, thank you." Twilight trotted to the table and levitated the boxes of quills to a shelf and opened one of them. She emptied one box into a cup with another quill already there.

That quill had once been one of the feathers in Rainbow's wing, but had fallen out while she was trying to escape Pinkie on an overnight train to Canterlot. Rainbow detested the idea that Twilight had turned one of her feathers into a writing quill.

The other box, Twilight put in a cabinet upstairs.

As Twilight came back downstairs Rainbow entered to deliver the replacement cupcakes. A second later, she was gone.

Twilight put the cupcakes near the door, but when she turned to walk away, the door opened, and Rarity entered.

"Good morning, Twi- why are you soaking wet?"

"I am soaking wet because of a certain high-speed pegasus," Twilight grumbled, wringing out her wings, still damp.

"Good morning, Most Beautiful one!" Spike said, his face turning pink. Twilight stifled a giggle.

"Hello, Spike." Rarity lifted the baby dragon and squeezy-hugged him "Oh, you are just so squishy and huggable!"

"What can I help you with, Rarity?" Twilight inquired.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to say 'good morning'," Rarity admitted.

Rarity left. But a few seconds later, Twilight heard Rarity screaming.

"Mud! I stepped in MUD! Filthy disgusting mud! It stings! It burns! What a crime against fabulosity! HELP!"

"I'm coming, Rarity!" Spike called as he dashed out of the library. Twilight giggled not bothering to cover it.

* * *

Twilight headed for Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville's local apple orchard. Applejack lived there with her family. Twilight had promised Applejack the previous day that she would help with some apple picking. But now, the orange-coated pony was nowhere to be seen.

Twilight stopped." Applejack is ALWAYS outside working. Where could she be?" she wondered. Her curiosity getting aroused, Twilight approached the barn as silently as she could.

As she got closer, she began hearing suspicious noises from within. Twilight paused, wondering what exactly was happening in there. Using her magic to amplify her hearing, all she heard were rough pants, begging whimpers, and the tumbling of bodies. Putting two and two together, Twilight blushed heavily. She paused, shook her head furiously, and erased all emotion from her face. Blush gone, she again started to approach the barn.

When she arrived at the barn door, she tried her best to appear innocent as she knocked. After a considerable pause (and a few seconds of hay rustling in the background), Applejack answered, face flush, hair out of place, and her hat sitting on her head at a weird angle, as if it had been thrown on.

Panting and trying to catch her breath, she answered the alicorn. "Hiya Twi. [pant] What can I do ya for?"

Close to laughter at this point, Twilight responded "Oh nothing much. I came to help you with those apples, but if you and Rainbow are busy..."

"What?! How did you know that?!" Rainbow demanded as she burst out of nowhere.

Applejack turned as red as her prized apples and facehoofed at her counterparts actions.

"It wasn't all that hard to venture an accurate guess, I mean come on. You, Dash, occasionally in AJ's hat? And you, Applejack, always following Rainbow around like a puppy dog...?"

"You heard us didn't you," This time Rainbow Dash's face flushed and backed behind the barn door, barely peeking out, which Twilight found somewhat cute.

"Yes I did," Twilight stated. "That and AJ's hair's a mess, her hat is falling off, she's got hay stuck in her mane, and a couple blue feathers stuck in her coat."

Applejack looked herself over and appeared embarrassed.

Twilight was trying to contain her giggles. "Sorry, did I over do it?" she asked.

"Yes," Rainbow and AJ replied.

"Oh, my bad" Twilight giggled.

"Don't you dare tell nopony 'bout none of this," Applejack threatened.

"Hmm, threatening a princess," Twilight mused. "Is that wise? Don't worry, AJ. I won't tell anypony. I'll just come back tomorrow. See you two love ponies at the picnic, alright?"

Then Twilight flew away, albeit unevenly, still giggling.


	2. A New Assignment

**Hi readers. This is my first fanfic. I hope you like it.**

* * *

After Twilight left Applejack with Rainbow Dash, she returned to the library. It was around 11:30 when she entered the library.

"Twilight, you'd better get ready for the picnic," Spike suggested.

"Thanks, Spike." Twilight smiled at the fact that Spike was there to remind her of all of her appointments. It occurred to her that, without spike, she would be very unorganized.

Twilight hurried to the kitchen, prepared a picnic basket, placed the cupcakes inside, covered the basket with a blanket, and carried it outside.

As Twilight cantered to the the usual picnic spot, she ran into Pinkie Pie.

"Hi Twilight! Do you have cupcakes in there? Can I have one?!" Pinkie Pie demanded. Pinkie could smell sweets and baked goods from a mile away. It dawned on Twilight that Fluttershy had the same ability with hurt and sick animals.

"Yes," Twilight replied. "I have cupcakes in here, and no, you can't have one until we get the the picnic." Twilight responded.

"AWWWWW!" Pinkie complained. "Party pooper."

Twilight chuckled to herself as she passed Rarity's house. Rarity's house was shaped like a massive Merry-go-round. Her dress shop took over most of the bottom floor.

As Twilight passed and slowed to a trot, Rarity came out to join her.

"Hey, Twilight, have you seen Fluttershy?"

"Yes, I have," Twilight replied. "Why?"

"I'm just… uh… curious." Rarity lied. "Yes. I am curious about how Fluttershy is doing."

"Yeah. You are totally 'just curious'." Twilight snorted, her voice laden with sarcasm. She knew there was something else behind Rarity's 'curiosity.'

"I heard that!" Rarity shouted. "What do you have against asking how a friend is doing?!"

Twilight stared at Rarity out of the corner of her eye.

"Okay, fine. Fluttershy is my best friend, Twilight. I want to make sure she's okay. Even though Rainbow Dash, despite everything I know about her, is beginning to do that for me."

Twilight couldn't help but wonder what the unicorn meant, because It was Applejack that Rainbow was most concerned with, but smiled and quickened her pace.

In no time, she had reached the usual picnic spot. It was at the top of a small hill, just outside of town. Fluttershy was already there, and, as Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie approached, Applejack joined them, having 'cleaned' herself up.

"Now can I have a cupcake?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight handed over the cupcake. The, now very happy pony, hopped away with her tasty treat.

"Hey!" Fluttershy looked around. "Where's Rainbow Dash?"

Twilight glanced over at Applejack and stifled her giggles. "Perhaps she was busy," the alicorn suggested.

Applejack shook her head. "She had to get home and grab something. She said she'd be 'long later."

Twilight couldn't help but notice a blush appearing on Applejack's face.

"Is that even physically possible?" Rarity asked. "Rainbow Dash, the fastest pony in Equestria, late! That statement is so… so…"

"Oxymoronic," Twilight finished. She couldn't help but notice that nopony else overlooked the fact that AJ knew where Rainbow was so accurately.

"Whatever!" Rarity wailed, annoyed. "The point is, how is Rainbow ever late? I mean in all honesty!"

_"Exactly!"_ Twilight thought._ "She was literally 'in 'Honesty''. Well, on top of Honesty, anyway. Wait! Do I even know who was on top? Damn Twilight! Get your mind out of the gutter!"_

* * *

Halfway across town, Rainbow was flying towards the picnic carrying a basket she had borrowed from Fluttershy. The normally high-speed pegasus had decided to slow down, both figuratively and literally.

As she passed over Town Square, she heard somepony calling her name. Curious, Rainbow Dash swooped lower and spotted Spike standing on the highest balcony on the library, waving to her. His tail was coiled around a piece of rolled up paper.

Rainbow tipped into a steep dive and landed smoothly on the guardrail around the edge of the veranda.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite dragon," Rainbow Dash said. "What up, Spike"

"I just got a letter from Princess Celestia for Twilight," Spike replied. "Can you take me to her?"

"Sure. Hop on." Rainbow hopped off of the rail and crouched in front of Spike. The baby dragon settled himself on the pegasus's back. Then Rainbow lunged up to the railing, sprang into the sky, and forgot all about her earlier decision. And, eventually, Spike.

* * *

As Rainbow was running late, Fluttershy suggested a game of volleyball. Twilight and Fluttershy were one team, and Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack were the second team. The net was a spool of yarn that Pinkie strung up between two trees.

"Wow, Fluttershy," Twilight exclaimed, as said pony returned a shot from Applejack off her forehead. "I've never seen anypony play as good as you before."

"Well, I play with my animals a lot, and that starts to get boring after a while, so you start doing trick shots to keep things interesting," Fluttershy explained. She lept up, her usual timid self left behind, and spiked the ball on Rarity.

"Oh my goodness, you play for blood, don't you," Rarity gasped.

"Oh no! That would be horrible!" Fluttershy exclaimed, horrified.

"No, darling, it means that you never hold back against any opponent," Rarity explained.

"Oh, well, I guess I do." Fluttershy shrugged

Rarity served the ball. Twilight lunged to return the shot, but it went too far. Suddenly, a blue pegasus stepped into her line of sight, effortlessly bounced the ball back into play off her hoof, and looked down at Twilight.

"Why are you laying in the dirt?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight stood up, and brushed the dirt off with her wings. "Because it's fun!" Twilight grumbled.

"Twilight!" Spike called from Rainbow's back, startling the pegasus.

"Geez, Spike! Where'd you come from?" she asked.

"I was on your back the entire time!" Spike reminded her. "You didn't notice?"

"Nope. It never crossed my mind." Rainbow crouched to let Spike off. "How'd you hold on so well, anyway?"

Spike ran up to Twilight with a letter. "I got a letter from Celestia!"

Twilight hung her head. "I knew it," she moaned. Twilight levitated the letter, read it , and gasped.

Silence.

Finally, Rarity spoke. "Well, what is it darling? You look like you have seen a ghost!"

Twilight cleared her throat and read the letter out loud:

Dear Princess Twilight…

I am writing to you under the gravest of circumstances. A catastrophe is occurring. I need you to report to Canterlot at your earliest convenience immediately! I am afraid I do not know much, but I need require your assistance. Please hurry. Time is of the essence.

Signed

Princess Celestia

P.S. Bring your friends.

* * *

"And you have no idea as to what she could've meant?" Rainbow Dash asked for the forty seventh time in a row.

They were on the train, inbound to Canterlot. Rainbow was hovering near the door, Twilight was sitting at a window looking out. Rarity and Applejack were sitting across from Twilight, and Fluttershy was sitting behind Rarity. Pinkie kept bouncing around and was never in the same place twice.

"Asking again will not change my answer!" Twilight snapped, now becoming exceedingly frustrated herself. "Celestia said that she didn't know much, so neither do I!"

"I wonder what problem could agitate a princess to much," Rarity stated.

"M-maybe i-it needs the E-Elements of Harm-" Fluttershy started to say, before she was interrupted.

"Maybe it is something she would prefer to have somepony better qualified do." Applejack suggested.

"O-or th-the Elements-" Fluttershy tried again.

"Maybe she needs us to throw a huge-enormous-gigantic-super-duper-spectacular party!" Pinkie exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeaaah, no!" Spike answered from where he sat on Twilight's head.

Fluttershy tried again, but to no avail, as Rainbow interrupted her.

"Or maybe, what ever this… 'catastrophe'... is, it requires use of the Elements of Harmony!"

"That's what I was trying to s-" Fluttershy tried to say. Sadly, she was interrupted by the conductor.

"Canterlot!"

Twilight and Spike vanished in a flash of light. They reappeared on the platform of the station. All of the ponies on the platform bowed to Twilight, but she galloped past all of them. Once she was in Canterlot, old memoried took over, guiding her through the sprawling maze in the direction of Celestia's palace.

Whenever Twilight was in a rush or experiencing emotional stress, she forgot about her wings. This time was no exception. It wasn't until Spike mentioned her wings that Twilight remembered she had them.

"Uh, Twilight? Can't you fly?" Spike asked.

"Hmm? Can I?" Twilight twisted around and noticed her wings. "Oh! Oops!"

Twilight vaulted into the air and shot towards the palace that Celestia lived in, with her sister, Princess Luna.

When Twilight landed at the front gate, she turned and was surprised to find Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy behind her. Both pegasi were exhausted.

"How… how… are… you… so… fast…?!" Rainbow gasped, out of breath.

A flash of light and the sound of an explosion interrupted Twilight. The alicorn turned and saw Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack standing nearby.

_"I could have sworn they weren't there a second ago,"_ Twilight thought. Twilight shook her head and trotted into the palace with her friends close behind.

In no time at all, Twilight reached the antechamber outside the throne room. But because Twilight was so focused on the task at hoof, she failed to notice two ponies talking in hushed tones , not far away.

The massive doors opened, and Twilight walked inside. As Twilight crossed the threshold, her horn glowed, and her crown materialized on her head.

Standing in the center of the room was Princess Celestia. She inclined her head to Twilight and her friends as they entered. Twilight followed suit.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice." Celestia said, welcoming them all. "We have much to discuss. But before we begin properly, there are two more ponies who will need to be present for this. The first, I believe you know her quite well, Twilight. Her name is Sunset Shimmer."

"Sunset Shimmer?" Twilight asked? Everypony turned towards the door.

Standing at the door was Sunset Shimmer, just as Twilight remembered. Yellow coat. Red and yellow striped mane and tail.

Twilight was about to ask what she was doing here, but said unicorn anticipated the question.

"That little 'accident' with the crown sort of ripped the portal open." Sunset explained.

The 'portal' was only open for three days, every two and a half years. Somehow, it had been forced open for an extended period of time.

"You said there was a second pony?" Twilight asked, turning back to Celestia.

"Yes," the princess replied. "She is my new student. And as you and Sunset are my former students, It is only right that you meet her."

"Who is she?" Fluttershy asked.

"Her name," Celestia replied, "Is Trixie."


	3. New Friends from Old Enimies

R and R

Hi Readers. I hope I am doing a good job. Sorry to all the AppleDash fans, but I am splitting them up. I prefer RainbowShy and Rarijack, so sue me. Tell me what you think!

* * *

"Trixie?!"

Everypony turned towards the door. And standing in the door was the unicorn in question. Persian blue coat and silver mane. Just as Twilight remembered. And Twilight and all of her friends were floored.

Spike moaned and fell off of Twilight's back, unconscious.

Trixie walked into the room and suddenly noticed Twilight.

"YOU!" she exclaimed. Three consecutive bolts of magic sailed out of Trixie's horn, straight at Twilight.

A faintly visible globe of dark pink light shimmered around Twilight. When Trixie's magic penetrated the sphere, they stuck, like flies in amber. The sphere shimmered and imploded into Twilight's horn.

"I… take it… you know each other." Princess Celestia was taken aback by Trixie's display of aggression.

"Not exactly," Rainbow Dash explained, hovering near Celesia. "They don't exactly see eye-to-eye, as it were. We've had two encounters with Trixie before. One included an angry Ursa Minor, and the other involved a powerful magical amulet. But yeah, you can say they know each other."

"What are you doing here?" Trixie demanded.

"Perhaps these can answer some questions." Twilight opened her wings, which had been folded and out of sight.

"You- you-... You're a princess!" Trixie gasped. "Please forgive me."

"Didn't I already forgive you?" Twilight asked.

"No. My outburst."

"Sure."

"Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, lets get down to business." Princess Celestia turned to Twilight. "What do you know about the Land of Dreams?"

"Well, first, the Land of Dreams was a colony of Equestria, established circa five hundred years after Equestria's founding." Twilight's eidetic memory took over and told Twilight what to say. "For well over a thousand years, Equestria and the Land of Dreams were at peace. But the colonies wanted to be their own country. War was waged for twenty years, then a peace agreement was decided upon. The Land of Dreams took the name 'Saddle Arabia,' and was allowed to become their own nation, under the following terms; Both Saddle Arabia and Equestria must provide military and financial support to the other and maintain an open-border policy."

When Twilight stopped, she realized that she was out of breath.

"Breathe, Twilight," Rainbow Dash reminded Twilight. "Remember to breathe."

"You are correct." Celestia nodded. "But now, Saddle Arabia is under threat from an unknown force. Nopony knows who is responsible, but Queen Aría, sovereign of Saddle Arabia has asked for my assistance. That is why you are here. I need the nine of you to travel to New Baltomare, the capital of Saddle Arabia on my behalf. I task you with assisting Aría with this threat."

A scroll burst into existence, shrouded in a yellow magical aura. A similar aura shrouded Celestia's horn. "This is a list of things you will need to take. Once you are all packed, report back here." Celestia gave the scroll to Twilight. Twilight passed the scroll to Spike, who blew on it. Green flame engulfed the paper, turning to pink smoke, which dissipated.

Twilight and her friends stepped away from Celestia. A flash of light emanated from Twilight's horn. It engulfed the six ponies and Spike and vanished.

* * *

Twilight and the girls burst into existence in the middle of the library.

"Okay every pony," Twilight said to her friends. "We need to get ready as fast as possible."

The alicorn opened the letter and read:

"The Elements of Harmony, my crown, and anything you absolutely need." Twilight turned to Rarity. "ONE suitcase. You all will be responsible for everything you bring. Keep that in mind."

Spike had gone upstairs during this time and came back with five wood boxes. Each box matched the coat of one of Twilight's friends, and was engraven with that pony's cutie mark.

"These boxes contain your Elements. Keep them with you at all times."

Spike passed out the boxes.

"Now go!"

The girls were gone in a flash.

Twilight trotted up to her room and pulled out her suitcase. She packed three books inside, a bottle of hairspray, and a comb. "I have to have some semblance of a kempt appearance." She thought to herself.

Twilight closed the case and then trotted downstairs. Rarity was waiting. And she had a mountain of luggage beside her.

"No, no, NO!" Twilight wailed.

"What's wrong, darling?" Rarity asked. "You said pack what we need. This is what I need."

"What you need and can carry!" Twilight shouted.

"Ugh! Fine," Rarity complained. She levitated the pile outside.

"I hope everypony else is packing light." Twilight muttered.

* * *

Applejack cast a glance around her bedroom. Of all the things she could see, there was little she needed to pack. Aside from the novel she had borrowed from Twilight.

The earth pony cantered to the book, sitting on the window sill and placed it in her saddle bags. she heard a knock at the front door. A minute later, Big MacIntosh was standin in the door to her room.

"Uh, AJ?" He said.

"Was that for me?" Applejack asked.

"Eeyup" Big Mac left.

As Applejack turned to follow, she found herself face-to-face with Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, uh, hey Dash." Applejack took a step back to let the pegasus into the room. "Shouldn't you be packing?"

"I'm done," came the curt reply Rainbow turned to display her saddle bags.

"Is that all yer talkin'? AJ asked.

"Ya know how you can't fly on an empty stomach?"

"Uh, sure…?"

"Well, you can't fly with a full suitcase, either."

"Oh! Course!" Applejack pulled another hat from the dresser in the corner and added that to her saddle bags. "So, ah, what brings you 'round here?"

"I need to tell you something,"Rainbow stated.

Applejack stopped and turned slowly to face the pegasus. The last time Applejack had heard Dash use that tone, the cyan mare had confessed her love towards the blonde maned pony. "What is it, Dash?"

Rainbow hesitated. "Well, I, uh, wow! Um…"

"Spit it out, Dash!" Applejack demanded. "What is it?"

"Okay, fine! Here it is." Rainbow shuffled her hooves. "I've been seeing Fluttershy!" she blurted before clamping a hoof to her mouth.

Applejack was silent for a moment. "Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed, but, uh, Ive been going out with Rarity," Applejack admitted.

Rainbow froze, struggling to contain her amusement. Finally, the rainbow-maned pony lost control and descended into a fit of laughter.

"Sorry," she mumbled, smothering her giggles.

"Don't be," The cowpony replied. "I'm sure I'd find it amusin' if I was your place. But I can't figure out for the life o' me why I find her to be so…"

"Attractive?" Rainbow ventured.

"Yeah," Applejack agreed absently. Her face was turning red. "Attractive. Let's go with that."

Rainbow giggled. "Forgive me if I've been listening to Twilight a little too much, but are you familiar with the laws of magnetism?"

"Uh, no?" Applejack replied, confused.

"Well, first, opposites are attracted to each other. And there is always an electrical current. Like a spark." The pegasus twisted absently as she started to preen her feathers.

Applejack frowned. "I'm beginning ta think yer tryin' ta tell me that love's the same."

"That's going ofthe chemistry between me and Shy," Rainbow Dash explained. "Listen. I'm going to head on home to find a few last minute things, then make my way to Canterlot, so I'll-"

"Applejack!" Applebloom called from downstairs. "Twilight's here to see you!"

"Come on up, Twi!" Applejack shouted down the hall.

"Catch ya later!" Rainbow called as she back flipped out the window.

Twilight entered. "Everything ready?"

"Yeah," Applejack said, tossing her mane.

"Hey, uh, why was Rainbow Dash here?"

"How'd you know she was here?" Applejack asked, slightly worried.

"Oh come on!" Twilight snorted. "As the Element of Magic, I am capable of locating any of the other elements at any given time, and the ponies that represent them! And, Rainbow was carrying the Element of Loyalty with her. That is the perfect combination to locate."

"Well, to answer yer question, Dash and I, uh, well, we terminated our relationship." Applejack mumbled.

The lavender alicorn frowned. Not being used to Applejack using sophisticated words, she said, "Y'know that terminate means to-"

"To finish. I know." Applejack said impatiently. "Yep. Dash 'n I called it quits." The earth pony twisted her head around to tighten her saddlebags.

"Oh! That must have been difficult! Letting her go like that," Twilight sympathized.

"Actually," Applejack shrugged, "It wasn't all that hard. Dash explained some things to me, and mentioned that she's happier with Shy and all, so-"

"THAT'S what Rarity ment!" Twilight burst out. "Oh, sorry. Continue."

"And ah'm happier with, uh, somepony else."

Twilight frowned and narrowed her eyes. Something seemed, well different about her. More… elegant. "Rarity?"

"Yup."

Twilight suppressed the desire to giggle. "Oh! Well, unless there is any thing you need, I'm gonna go check on the girls," Twilight stammered. And with that, she flew out of the window.

* * *

"Now Angle, you be a good little bunny for Lyra, and I'll bring you back something special. Okay?" Fluttershy said to her beloved bunny. "Thanks again for taking care of all my animals for me, Lyra."

"Oh, it's no problem at all," the green unicorn smiled. "I'm always happy to help."

Fluttershy trotted over to her saddlebags, which sat in the corner of her living room. "Oh dear, I hope I haven't forgotten anything."

Just then there was a knocking at the door.

"I'd better get that." Fluttershy drifted on silent wings to the front door and opened it to find Twilight. "Oh, why, hello Twilight. Come in."

Twilight stepped inside. "Are you all set?" the alicorn asked.

"Yes, I just finished packing." Fluttershy turned in a circle mumbling incomprehensibly.

"Oh, hi Lyra!" Twilight called as she spotted the bright green unicorn.

"Good morrow, your highness," Lyra replied in a mocking tone.

"Good morrow your self," Twilight grumbled. "Are you here to sit for all the critters?"

Lyra nodded. "I have rudi- rudim-, UGH!"

"Rudimentary?" Twilight suggested.

"Yes!" Lyra exclaimed. "That! I have rudimentary experience with animals. That should be enough."

Twilight smiled. "There is just something about seeing other ponies helping each other that always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside."

"Oh! I forgot something!" Fluttershy yelped, galloping for the stairs.

"I should get going," Twilight called. "Don't want to keep Celestia waiting."

"Okay!" the shy pony called from her room. "Don't feel the need to wait for me!"

Twilight turned and trotted outside after bidding Lyra goodbye and closed the door. She looked out over Ponyville. Twilight had a nagging feeling that she wouldn't be enjoying that view in a long time.

Pushing that thought aside, Twilight spread her wings and lifted into the air and began the long flight to Canterlot.


	4. On Taking Leave and Mixed feelings

**Hi everypony. I'm sorry if my writing is poor quality. This is my first story. This chapter will get the girls on their way, and will begin to imply the TwilightShimmer in the description. So, please send me a review. **

* * *

Twilight landed at the front steps of the palace, relishing the chance to stretch her wings. She looked up to see Princess Celestia standing nearby, Sunset Shimmer standing next to her. A pair of saddlebags hung across her back, emblazoned with a stylized flame.

The three of them nodded to each other. Then, Twilight turned and fired a beam of light at the wall. The beam hit the wall and spread out to form a circle. As the beam faded and the middle of the circle shimmered, and the interior of the library was visible.

"Whoa!" Sunset gasped. "How'd you do that?"

"That was a little spell I improvised," Twilight admitted, blushing at Sunset's praise. She glanced at Sunset and was surprised to find the crimson maned unicorn staring at her with a dreamy expression. Sunset blinked suddenly and looked away, leaving Twilight confused.

Trying to distract herself, Twilight stared out at Ponyville. As she watched, a prismatic streak rose from the small town and angled towards Canterlot.

"Oo! Neat trick Twilight!"

Twilight turned to find Rarity and Applejack standing behind her, staring at the portal Twilight had created.

"Thanks, Rarity," Twilight smiled. The alicorn walked over to the guard rail and turned to face the palace wall. A tendril of purple light shot out of Twilight's horn and dropped to the ground, forming a straight line between her and the palace.

As the prismatic pegasus shot past the cable, her tail snagged the line and pulled on it, arresting her flight. Rainbow flicked her tail and the cable dissipated.

"Hey thanks, Twilight," Rainbow said to the purple alicorn.

"Just trying to make sure you don't get a broken wing before we leave for New Baltimare," Twilight said with a snort. In an undertone, she added, "As futile as it is."

"Spike! What was my time?" Rainbow asked, ignoring Twilight.

"Fifteen thirty-five." Said baby dragon had stepped through the portal without any pony noticing.

"YES! NEW RECORD!" the rainbow mare chreered.

Twilight looked over her friends, to see how they had packed. Rainbow only had her saddlebags. Rarity and Applejack each had a suitcase and their saddlebags.

At this point, Fluttershy stepped through the portal, sporting her saddlebags and a small suitcase.

"Hey Fluttershy," Rarity said to her. "Have you seen Pinkie Pie?"

"She said she was on her way to the train station," Fluttershy recalled.

With a groan, Twilight turned to the portal and let her horn glow. The circle filled in with purple and then shimmered before showing the platform at Ponyville Train Depot.

As everypony watched, the bright pink cotton ball came bouncing around the corner of the building.

"Oh hey guys!" Pinkie exclaimed happily, as if randomly placed magical portals were normal. Pinkie bounced up to the portal and hopped through. "Hey! Nice spell Twilight! We're all so proud!" Twilight blushed as pinkie gave her a noogie.

A bang, a sizzle, and a puff of smoke announced the arrival of Trixie.

"Good," Celestia spike at last. "Now that we are all here, there a fa few things I would like to discuss. First, Twilight. You are in charge of any on-the-spot decisions. The rest of you can help her when ever she asks for it." She winked at Twilight. "And I trust she will ask for it. Next, here are your instructions. They contain everything you need to know between here and New Baltimare." A scroll burst into existence, which Celestia gave to Twilight.

"You all will be taking a private train to Manehatten Harbor. The train leaves in thirty minutes. It arrives at noon tomorrow. From there, you will be boarding a boat to Saddle Arabia. It is a two day voyage. From there, you travel overland to New Baltimare. You will be staying with Queen Aría for the duration of your stay." Celestia paused to take a breath. "If you have any last questions, now is the time to ask them."

None were forthcoming.

"Good. Now make haste to the station. I will see all of you when you return," Celestia finished.

Twilight and company made their way to the train. It was the typical train that was used all across Equestria. But nopony else would be on the train, aside from the staff aboard the train.

Twilight stepped on the train first, with Spike right behind. The conductor was waiting for them.

"Good afternoon your highness," he said bowing.

Twilight bit her tongue. She preferred that title being used only on important business, formal occasions, or in Canterlot. Unfortunately for her, this fell into two of those criteria. "Good afternoon. Is the train ready for departure?" Twilight asked politely.

"Yes, we are ready to go." The conductor ushered Twilight's friends onto the train. "Please, come in. Come in, find a seat."

Once everypony her found a seat, the conductor began. "This train, as I am sure you are aware, is bound for Port of Manehattan."

"This line doesn't go to Manehattan Seaport," Sunset Shimmer whispered to Twilight.

"We will be leaving in very soon and will arrive at approximately 12:30 tomorrow afternoon. Lunch is being served in the second car from the end of the train for the next hour. And supper will be served from six to eight thirty this evening. Breakfast is tomorrow from seven until nine thirty, and lunch again at noon. And then we will be at our destination. Now if you'll excuse me, I will get us underway." He left.

"Alright. There are four rooms on the train," Twilight explained reading from the scroll from Celestia. She then turned her attention to a clipboard she had packed. "We will be pairing up to share rooms. Rainbow Dash, you will be with Fluttershy."

The two pegasi shared a delighted grin.

"Applejack is with Rarity."

Rarity placed a peck on AJ's cheek, turning the earth pony from orange to red.

"Trixie is with Pinkie Pie, because you owe Pinkie an apology for stealing half of her face."

"Fine by me," Trixie shrugged.

"I'm watchin' you…" Pinkie said in a dangerous tone, leering at Trixie, which the unicorn simply brushed off.

"And Sunset Shimmer will be sharing with me." Twilight looked up and noticed a blush on the normally yellow face.

The train started to move.

"What about me?" Spike asked.

"You are fair game, Spike," Twilight told him. "You can share a room with whoever you want. Okay, I will see all of you at dinner tonight."

Everypony was gone in a flash.

Twilight sat down and started to read the scroll farther.

_My Dear Twilight…_

_These instructions will get you safely to New Baltimare. Follow them to the letter._

_The train you are traveling on to Manehattan has four rooms, so your friends will have to share them. It's up to you how you want to split them up. But Sunset Shimmer displayed an interest in sharing a room with you._

_At the platform, take the stairs and you will find yourself in the sublevel of the light house. Once outside, your target is a white and silver caravel. Two ponies bearing the crest of New Baltimare will approach you and ask for 'the item in question'. That 'item' is your crown. It is proof that you are Princess Twilight Sparkle. They will escort you and the girls to the boat and will set off for Saddle Arabia._

The scroll continued for many more paragraphs. That was all she needed thus far. The sound of hoofsteps alerted Twilight to Trixie's approach.

"Hey, um, Twilight?"

"Yes? Can I help you?" Twilight asked.

"Would you be open to a magic duel?"

"Where are you going with this?" Twilight asked, suddenly in edge.

"Nowhere!" Trixie exclaimed. "I just want a friendly test of magical strength."

"Twilight frowned. "There wasn't anything friendly about the last one we had," the alicorn mentioned.

"I know, I know." Trixie stomped her hoof. "Winner wins, loser loses. Okay?"

Twilight hesitated. "Sure."

Neither pony noticed that Rarity and Sunset shimmer were walking past.

"Now, if you girls don't mind, may I join in, and made it a tag duel?" Rarity asked.

"Umm…Sure?" Trixie hesitated

"I may not have the diversity you two have, but I know a few spells that you might not," Rarity said confidently.

"Yeah, go right ahead Rarity," Twilight smiled, pleased that Rarity wanted to join in.

"But how can we have a tag duel if we are one pony short?" Trixie asked.

"Oh what am I? A bruised apple core?"

Everypony turned to Sunset.

"I'll have you know that I can almost perfectly match Twilight," She said with dignity.

"Alright then. A tag team magic duel," Twilight declared. "This will be so much fun!"

* * *

**Thanks for reading. The next chapter will be getting more into Sunset's feelings towards Twilight and I will try to add some humor. I look forward to all the reviews. **


	5. Speaking Out (literally)

Hey everypony. Sorry for the late post. I've been very distracted.

*cough cough canvas rider cough cough*

So anyway, this chapter adds some humor to the story and also gets into the whole TwilightShimmer scandal. So, uh, I hope you like this chapter, and pleas review.

* * *

The four ponies stood in an open car with low walls and no roof. Twilight and Rarity on one end, Sunset and Trixie on the other, with Spike standing off to the side.

"All right, Rarity!" Trixie called. "This spell will make you wish you never even agreed to join this party."

"Actually," Rarity replied, tossing her mane. "I asked to join."

"Wow!" Sunset exclaimed. "I never knew one pony could look so… so… gorgeous!"

"Well thank you, darling. I do try my best. Unlike somepony I could mention!" Garity growled, glaring at Twilight.

"My new role doesn't give me much time to fuss over my look," Twilight complained.

"I don't seem to have a problem with it," Rarity noted.

"You don't seem to be a princess, either," Twilight retorted as she and Rarity turned their attention back to Trixie.

Trixie fired a beam of light at Rarity, but to defend herself, Rarity cast a spell Twilight had never seen her cast before. A one inch thick sheet of diamond shot out of the ground in front of Rarity. Trixie's beam ricocheted off the barrier and hit Sunset. For a moment, Sunset Shimmer was hidden by the light, but when it dissipated, Sunset's mane had been turned into an afro.

There was a long pause as Trixie sputtered, trying to find the words to apologize, while Twilight, Spike, and Rarity struggled to contain their mirth.

"TRIXIE!" Sunset Shimmer wailed.

"S-s-s-sorry… I-I-I-"

"WHY!" Sunset demanded. "Why did you use THAT SPELL!"

"I thought it would hit Rarity," Twixie whimpered in a small voice. She was crouching in front of the raging unicorn.

As Twilight magically returned Sunset's hair to normal, Rarity launched a counterattack. A bolt of magic struck Trixie, causing her mane to take a shape similar to Pinkie's. In the meantime, Sunset attacked Twilight. A beam of light blasted at the alicorn, only to swirl around Twilight's horn and disappear. Seconds later, Trixie was lying on the ground, spent.

Rarity was the next to fall. A spell from Sunset put her in a horrifying dress, causing her to pass out. Finally, Twilight just barely overpowered Sunset in a 'shoutout'.

"Well," Twilight said with a huff. "That was fun." Twilight trotted inside and made her way to the mess car. Rainbow and Applejack were having an eating contest while Pinkie played referee.

Twilight stared for a moment. "You girls realize that you will be puking your guts out later, right?"

"Go suck a rock, Twilight!" Rainbow called to her before letting out a seven second burp.

"And Rainbow gets a fourteen point bonus." Pinkie said, drawing a bumble bee in her note pad. "Yeah, go suck on a rock!"

"I love you girls too," Twilight mumbled as she trotted past. She stopped at the counter. "Can I have an egg salad sandwich, please?"

The pony behind the counter turned around and put a plate on the counter, containing an egg salad sandwich and a sliced dill pickle.

As Twilight sat down, she heard another loud burp. She glanced up and noticed Applejack looking rather red in the face.

"And Applejack gets a twelve point bonus," Pinkie said as she scribbled a tic-tac-toe board on her notepad.

"Umm, Pinkie?" Applejack said. "That wasn't a burp."

Rainbow and Pinkie stared at each other, then at Applejack. Two seconds later, they were gone with a pair of matching shrieks.

"So much for having a peaceful lunch,"Twilight grumbled as she returned the plate to the counter. Levitating her sandwich and the half eaten pickle, Twilight vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

Twilight found herself in her room. Staring out the window, Twilight noticed a massive canyon below the train. She admired the canyon for a moment while eating her sandwich, until it disappeared from view behind a line of dense trees.

Twilight trotted over to her bed and hopped up on it. Pulling a book out of her suitcase, which sat beneath her bed, Twilight flopped down to read. As she did so, the door opened. Twilight looked up to see Sunset standing in the doorway.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked.

"Um, sure." Twilight shrugged. "I don't see why not." Twilight patted the bed beside her.

Sunset hopped up, feeling a little uncomfortable. **_"Should I be telling her this?"_** She thought. Twilight's voice brought her out of her reverie.

"Is something bothering you?" Twilight asked.

"Hm? What? Oh, um, well, yes," Sunset replied after a moment. "Here's the thing. Ever since you helped me find the magic of friendship, I felt, well, starstruck. You told me just what I wanted to hear." Sunset paused for a moment before going on.

"And ever since I came back to Canterlot, you and what you said has been on my mind a lot. And when Celestia mentioned this assignment and the fact that you would be participating, I, well, I felt like a little filly all over again. I just wanted so bad to see you again, as a pony, without trying to steal your crown."

"Hey!" I got it back, okay," Twilight reminded her. "No hard feelings."

"Anyway," Sunset continued. "When you and your friends showed up in Canterlot, I almost keeled over. You just looked so beautiful." Sunset's eyes shot open wide in an instant.

Twilight blinked several times over. "So I was right."

"What?" Sunset asked. "Right about what?"

"You are a fillyfooler," Twilight explained patiently.

"Yeah. I am." Sunset sighed. "Nopony knows. Except probably Luna."

"So am I," Twilight whispered.

"Really?" Sunset asked. "I thought you had a crush on Flash Sentery."

"I did, but he just wasn't right," Twilight admitted.

"Well anyway," Sunset said. "I think I love you."

Twilight was silent for a moment. "I think I love you too."

There was a moment of silence.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Pinkie Pie burst in. "C'mon you guys. We're coming to ginormous waterfall!" She turned around and hopped away.

Twilight and Sunset stared after her. Finally, they gave in and ran after her.

They found every pony in the open car. Twilight walked over to the side, next to Spike. Suddenly, everything went dark as the train went into a tunnel.

Everypony began mumbling to each other.

Finally, the train burst out into a shower of sunlight and a fine mist. A roaring sound was all that could be heard as everypony stared up at the massive cataract.

Pinkie galloped to the other side of the train and stared down. "WOW! Guys, come check this out!"

Everypony followed Pinkie and looked down. The train was going over a massive canyon. A river flowed at the bottom, over seven hundred feet below.

"Lipizzan Canyon!" Rarity exclaimed. "It really is beautiful!"

"You didn't believe me?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, forgive me for saying this, but you have unreliable taste," Rarity stated flatly.

"Excuse me!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Are you trying to imply that I am not good enough for Rainbow Dash?"

"Uh, I uh…" Rarity flubbed.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes at Rarity. "Nice…"

The train descended back into darkness. On the other side of the tunnel, the train came out in a sea of lush fields and hills. Twilight and Sunset stayed staring at the scenery for a moment, while everypony else went inside.

"This is beautiful," Sunset sighed.

"Yeah," Twilight agreed. "It is."

After a while the sun started to go down. Twilight turned to the door with Sunset close behind her. They found the girls in the mess car, having dinner.

"How can you stand it in here?" Twilight asked, trying not to gag.

"Oh, uh, Trixie ventilated the car," Rainbow explained.

"That's not disgusting at all," Twilight hissed to Sunset. Sunset giggled.

Twilight sat down near Rarity, and took an apple from the fruit bowl in the middle of the table. "So, uh, how is everypony?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, I'm okay." Fluttershy spoke barely louder than a whisper.

"Well, this train ride is rather peaceful, but but peachey all the same," Rarity mentioned.

"I think it's all kinda boring," Rainbow explained. "Well, until I pulled a rainboom about an hour ago."

Twilight couldn't help but feel slightly worried at that. What would happen if somepony saw the rainboom that didn't want them to reach Saddle Arabia. Thoughts similar to this kept circling around Twilight's head as conversation began to dwindle.

Once Twilight finished her apple, she retired to her room, while everypony chatted quietly with each other.

In her room, Twilight stared out at the moon, rising above the horizon. The door opened and Sunset entered.

"Hey," Sunset said quietly.

"Oh, hey!" Twilight moved over to allow Sunset room on the bed, but before anypony could say anything further, they heard a strange sound. Twilight and Sunset stared at each other for a moment, then pressed their ears up against the bulkhead. The sound of heavy panting and soft moans reached their ears.

"This is the same thing I heard at Sweet Apple Acres this morning!" Twilight whispered to Sunset.

Sunset giggled before pressing her ear up against the wall. Then they heard Fluttershy in the other room. And she said something that neither unicorn ever dreamed of hearing her say, or could imagine her saying again.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash you magnificent beast!"

Twilight and Sunset flubbed at each other. Then they burst out laughing. And on the other side of the wall, two pegasi found themselves with very red faces.

* * *

The next chapter will include some suspense. The girls will begin their voyage to Saddle Arabia. Thanks for reading, and I have a new story in the wings that will reduce Rainbow to an emotional unstable wreak. Thanks for reading.


	6. Unfortunate Events, Part the First

Hello dear readers. Sorry about the late post. I was busy trying to figure out a Kindle PaperWhite.

Anyway, this chapter brings them to the port. I incorporated my favorite series of books into this chapter. See if you can guess which series I'm talking about.

Enjoy.

* * *

The next morning, Twilight found herself in bed with Sunset. A moment of panic hit the alicorn until she remembered the previous night.

So as not to disturb the still snoozing pony, Twilight teleported out of bed over to the mirror. pulling her comb and hairspray out of her bag, Twilight began to sort out the mess that was her morning bed head. As she trotted to the door, The train lurched suddenly.

Twilight stumbled to catch herself once the train smoothed out again. At that moment, Sunset woke up, mumbling something to herself.

"Good morning, beautiful," Twilight said, turning around

"Good morning," Sunset moaned.

"You okay?" Twilight asked.

"No," Sunset grumbled. Using her magic, Sunset levitated herself over to her suitcase.

"I'm gonna head down to the dining car," Twilight told her. "Come down when you're ready." Twilight trotted down the corridor. Halfway to the door, the train lurched again. "Shit!" Twilight swore as she fit the floor.

"You okay?" Sunset called.

"Yes." Twilight continued to the mess car, where she found Fluttershy trying to clean up a coffee spill… on Rainbow's stomach.

"Good morning girls," Twilight said to them as she made her way the the coffee machine.

"Oh, good morning, Twi- Ow!" Rainbow yelped.

"Oh, sorry," Fluttershy mumbled.

Twilight sighed as she beheld the happy couple. Her daydream ended as she felt somepony plant a kiss on her cheek. Glancing over, Twilight noticed that it was Sunset.

The exchange did not go unnoticed by Fluttershy.

As Twilight sat down with her coffee, Pinkie and Trixie entered, talking about various things. Suddenly, the train lurched again.

"What the buck!" Rainbow swore.

"Calm down, Dashie," Fluttershy told her marefriend.

Twilight almost spilled her coffee on herself like Rainbow had, but used her magic at the last second to catch the hot liquid and lower it back into her cup. "What is going on?" she asked.

Right then, Applejack and Rarity entered. "Will somepony tell me what the hay is goin' on with the train?"

Spike entered. "I just checked with the conductor," he said. "He's not doing it."

The car went dark as the train entered a tunnel.

"Well, putting that aside," Rarity said. "What are we doing once we reach Manehattan?"

The train soared out of the tunnel as Twilight answered. "We need to find the boat that will take us to Saddle Arabia."

Conversation dipped into a lull as everypony finished breakfast.

Suddenly, the train tipped violently to one side.

Everypony started to panic.

"Everypony go get your bags!" Twilight shouted. Twilight bolted for her room with her friends close behind her. The alicorn ducked into her room and hurriedly threw her open book into her bag, along with the comb, and bolted for the mess car.

Within seconds, everypony else was gathered. The train began to tip again, farther than before, threatening to derail.

"Everypony get ready to jump!" Twilight shouted as she reached for magic. Twilight then blasted the roof off of the car, as it tilted ever farther.

"JUMP!" Twilight wailed. She galloped up the sloping wall to the precipice and lunged, as her friends panicked to follow.

One second after Rarity's hooves left the car, it tilted even farther, passing it's point of balance and hit the ground. The entire train had derailed and continued several yards further before stopping.

Suddenly, several ponies jumped out of the trees.

Mass chaos ensued as the girls fought off their attackers. Becoming desperate, Twilight lifted her horn and cast a confusion spell on all of the attackers. "Run!" She shouted, turning away from the train.

Rainbow shot past her, carrying Fluttershy, as Rarity and Applejack followed. Once she was sure that everypony was clear, Twilight followed. She caught up with them at the top of a tall cliff. Miles from the bottom of the cliff, the ponies spotted the Port of Manehattan.

"That's our destination," Twilight explained. She turned and began to follow a narrow hoof trail down the cliff. "We have to hurry. The spell I cast could wear of at any moment."

After a minute of walking, stumbling, and complaining about sore hooves, the ponies found themselves at the bottom. Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow. I need you to do something for me."

"I'm listening," the cyan mare replied.

Twilight removed her crown and passed it to her pegasus friend. "Take this and go to the harbor. Look for a large white sailing ship. Two ponies will confront you and ask for an item. Give them the crown and tell them to prepare the ship to sail. Take Spike. We have very little time."

Rainbow was naturally skeptical. "But-"

"NO BUTS!" Twilight wailed. "Just GO!"

Rainbow nodded. She caught the tip of Spike's tail between her teeth, and with a quick toss of her head, she flipped Spike onto her back, and seconds later, she was out of sight.

"Sunset, Trixie, the three of us need to take turns holding the attackers off," Twilight told the two unicorns. They nodded.

Suddenly, a blast of magic sailed over Twilight's head and impaled a tree several yards beyond. Sunset flanked Twilight, and with a running leap, landed on Twilight's back, facing behind her. Firing a quick round of magic bolts, she jumped down and kept running.

Up ahead, Rarity stumbled. Trixie used her magic to lift the fashionista to her hooves. Rarity mouthed a quick 'thank you' to Trixie before galloping ahead.

Several large trees lining the trail caught Twilight's eye. Once she had passed them, Twilight spun around and lossed a beam of magic to fell the trees. Twilight placed the downed trees over the path and, after exchanging fire with their pursuers, she turned and spread her wings, flying back to her friends.

* * *

Rainbow shot into the air, leaving her friends behind. In no time, she could see the harbor.

_**"Wait,"**_ Rainbow thought to herself._** "Why am I, the Element of Loyalty, abandoning my friends"**_

Rainbow must have been slowing down, because Spike spoke up.

"Rainbow, why are you slowing down?" he asked.

"Because I'm abandoning my friends," Rainbow replied. "I am the bearer of Loyalty, Spike. I never let my friends down when they need me. And they need me now."

"But Twilight gave you a direct order," Spike explained. "She asked you to do this because you are more helpful here than you are back there."

"I know, but id just doesn't feel right, leaving them like this," Rainbow complained.

""I didn't want to do this," Spike admitted. "But you leave me no choice. If you really are the embodiment of Loyalty, you would do as Twilight asks and come through for her. You were asked to do this because Twilight needs a quick departure."

Rainbow hesitated for a moment. "You're right, Spike. Twilight needs me to come though for her, and I'm not about to let her down. Rainbow blasted toward the port, with Spike clinging to her mane.

A minute later, Rainbow reached the port. She touched down near the lighthouse and looked around. A long line of piers and jetties ran along the wharf. A wide assortment of boats were moored. Finally, after a moment of looking, Rainbow spotted her prey. At the far end, she spotted a large white vessel, trimmed with silver.

Rainbow cantered toward the ship, so as to appear casual. As she approached, two earth ponies at the end of the gang plank spotted her and made to intercept her.

_**"They must be the ponies Twilight warned me about,"**_ Rainbow assumed.

"My name is Rainbow Dash," Rainbow told the two ponies as they got closer. "I am here on behalf of Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Do you have the item in question?" one of the ponies asked. He had a deep brown mane, and his coat was a dark beige. The other was a mare. She had a brilliant yellow coat and a light orange mane.

Rainbow stalled for a second, trying to figure out what the 'item in question was', before realizing that they were asking for the crown. Spike was quicker and pulled the crown out of Dash's saddlebags.

The yellow mare took the crown and looked it over. She passed it back to Spike and nodded to her companion.

"If you are with Her Highness, then why is she not here?" the stallion asked.

"Our train got derailed and they were forced to continue on foot," Spike explained. "She needs the boat ready to sail by the time she arrives.

The two ponies nodded. "Come aboard," the stallion said. "My name is Clay, and this is Sunny." He nodded to the mare beside him.

"Hi," Sunny smiled.

Rainbow and Spike followed them aboard. The ship's crew consisted of only five ponies. There were Clay and Sunny, that made two. The other three were a pegasus mare with a deep blue coat and a cerulean mane, a unicorn mare with a light lavender coat and a pastel green mane, dappled with various colors, and a unicorn stallion with a jet black coat and a dark indigo mane.

At Clay's command, every pony ran about, preparing the ship to sail.

* * *

Rarity burst out of the trees and charged down the hill toward the port. Pinkie and Applejack close behind her, with Fluttershy flying along side.

Trixie and Sunset followed, with Twilight close behind.

"Almost there!" Trixie shouted, out of breath.

Twilight turned to return fire and kept going. About a minute later, the girls reached the harbor.

"Go!" Twilight shouted. "Get on board." Twilight ground to a halt and turned around. A blast of magic came from one of the pursuers, which Twilight deflected.

"Twilight! Come on!" Sunset shouted from the ship.

Twilight turned for a second and shouted, "Spike! Tell them to set sail!"

"But-!" he balked.

"JUST DO IT!" Twilight hollered, before turning around again.

Spike hesitated. "It's okay Spike. Twilight knows what she's doing."

Slowly, the boat began to move. It pulled away from the jetty and made it's way out into the open water.

"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow shouted.

Twilight fired two blasts of magic from her horn, but watched as one of the ponies launched a bolt high into the air, with a slow deliberate arc. "No!" Twilight shouted as she lifted her horn. Psyching herself, Twilight shot a wide blast of magic at the bolt. The two bolts collided in midair, and a massive explosion ensued.

For the next two minutes, Twilight stalled her attackers, deflecting blasts and covering her friends' escape. Risking a quick glance behind her, Twilight spotted the ship, a quarter mile from the pier.

Seeing her chance, Twilight turned tail and galloped full tilt to the end of the jetty, avoiding the bolts of magic that peppered the pavement behind her.

Upon reaching the end of the pier, Twilight sprang up into the guardrail, lunged out over the open water, and spread her wings.

She raced as fast as her wings could carry her toward the ship, gaining altitude. Suddenly, a blast of magic sailed past her, followed by a sharp pain from her wing.

Twilight let out a scream of agony.

"NO!" everypony on the boat shouted.

Seeing dots swarm before her eyes, Twilight aimed for the deck. Finally, at the last second, Twilight pulled up, but was too slow.

She crashed into the deck at near terminal velocity. Then her world went black.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Don't worry, Twilight's not dead. I'm not that mean. The next chapter will take place at sea. Actually, the next two will be on the water. So don't forget to favorite me as an author. I have a RainbowShy comming next. Ta!


	7. Out at Sea

Hi dear readers Sorry for all the late posts over the last two weeks. My life has been rather hectic.

This chapter will allude upon a scene from part two, like a teaser, if you will.

Please review.

Thanks.

* * *

Everything was sore. And her wing felt strangely cold. Not a comfortable cold, like a breeze, but a burning cold. Like it was covered in dry ice.

**_"What happened?"_** Twilight thought.

Then she heard voices.

"Well, nothing appears to be broken," the first voice said. "Just bruised."

"I'm surprised," a second replied. "Considering the angle and speed of her fall."

"Have you done that before?" a third asked.

"Hay, yeah! I did that twice almost every month when I was a filly!"

Twilight groaned, slowly opening her eyes. She blinked for a moment, until the light was no longer blinding. She then looked up at the three ponies standing over her.

"Good afternoon, Sleeping Beauty!" Rainbow said, a broad grin spreading across her face. Sunset thwacked her shoulder.

"She's mine, and you know it," Sunset told her.

"Not yet," Twilight mumbled. "It's too early to be good. What happened?"

"Mm, not much," Sunset replied. "We would have made a seamless escape from port, that is, until the newest princess of Equestria got her wing fried and then got into a game of 'chicken' with the deck of the boat."

"Yeah, good job with that, by the way," Rainbow added sarcastically.

"As far as I can tell, all you have is a minor concussion and a first degree magical burn on the top surface of your right wing," the first pony added. She had a deep blue coat and an aquamarine mane.

"Aww, I like that wing!" Twilight complained, sarcastically. Rainbow snorted.

"This is Tsunami," Sunset explained, nodding to the dark blue pegasus.

"Pleased to meet you," Twilight said cheerily. She sat and immediately regretted the action, as she quickly became nauseated, and light-headed. Twilight waited until her blood returned to her head before speaking. "What's going on upstairs?"

"We're an hour 'n a half out from Manehattan," Tsunami explained moving to the door.

Twilight turned and sat on the side of the bed, waited a moment, and stood. She stumbled suddenly as the boat pitched suddenly.

Sunset and Rainbow moved to catch Twilight, but Twilight had regained her footing.

The alicorn walked to the door and followed Tsunami to a flight of stairs to the left. At the top was another flight that lead to fresh air.

"Your room is past that door," Tsunami explained, pointing to a door a few feet away.

Twilight followed Tsunami to the deck, where she found Rarity and Applejack with their hooves around each other, staring out at the horizon. Fluttershy was having a nice long chat with a seagull that had landed beside her.

Trixie was chatting with one of the boat's crew, a black unicorn with a dark purple mane. His cutie mark was an open book displaying a symbol similar to Twilight's cutie mark, but the star was black, instead of purple. And Pinkie was bouncing around the deck… on her tail.

Twilight giggled at the sight, remembering a rhyme her brother had taught her.

_'Tigger bounced around the wood,_

_As only a Tigger could._

_He used every ounce of bounce_

_And jumped to make the pounce.'_

Twilight smiled as she recalled the memory. She trotted to the bow of the boat and closed her eyes, breathing in the salty air. After a moment, she released her breath.

"Something tells me you like the ocean," Sunset said from behind her.

"I love the ocean!" Twilight replied, recalling her most cherished fillyhood memory.

* * *

_A quaint little villa sat on on the edge of a beach. It had two floors, a veranda overlooking the ocean, and a patio with stairs leading to the sand._

_"Twilight, honey! Did you get your suitcase upstairs to your room?" Twilight Velvet called._

_"Yes, mommy!" Twilight called back as she raced to the sand._

_This was the Sparkle family villa. Every year, Twilight and her family went on vacation to the villa for a week of swimming, sunbathing, and procrastination._

_Twilight raced past her brother, tagging him on the shoulder. "Tag! You're it!" she squealed with delight._

_"Hey! Get back here, you little rascal!" Shining Armor called after her._

_"You can't catch me!" Twilight sang as she romped towards the water. A quick glanced over her shoulder told her that Shining Armor was gaining on her. Twilight dropped to the ground, forcing Shining Armor to jump over her. Then Twilight sprang up and galloped back towards the villa._

_Shining Armor spun around and charged after Twilight, who was now rolling in the sand. "What are you doing, Twilly?" he asked._

_"I'm making a sand angel," Twilight replied as if this were obvious. "Duh!"_

_Shining Armor smiled and put a hoof on Twilight's tummy. Leaning down, he whispered, "You're it," before trotting to the water._

_"Hey!" Twilight shouted as she rolled over, jumped up and galloped after her brother. However, Shining Armor's longer legs made short work of out striding Twilight shorter legs._

_Twilight then gathered the small amount of magic she had and teleported to Shining Armor's back, leaving her dizzy from the effort. Twilight jumped off of her brother's back and began running back and forth, unintentionally foiling Shining Armor's attempts to tag her._

_Dizzy, Twilight stumble-ran back to the villa, failing to see the pink alicorn in front of her._

_THUD!_

_Twilight sat down hard, rubbing her forehead. She looked up and saw her foalsitter. "Cadence!" Twilight squeaked happily._

_"Hello Twilight," Cadence smiled, hugging her favorite filly._

* * *

Twilight let the memory fade. She turned around and was about to take a step towards the stairs to the quarterdeck, when the boat lurched violently, spilling Twilight over the railing.

Twilight yelped as she grasped the base of the railing. She spotted the deep brown earth pony galloping toward her. But Twilight would not rely on somepony else to save her when she could do it herself.

A cord of purple light shot out of Twilight's horn. The end shot up to the nearest mast and lashed itself. Pulling in the magic cable, Twilight relinquished her hold and was pulled skyward. She sailed up over the railing before dropping to the deck.

"You okay?" The stallion asked?

'Clay,' Twilight remembered. "Yes. I'm fine. What was that?"

"Whale," Tsunami called from the end of the prow. "These waters have a massive whale population." Tsunami trotted down the prow, and hopped off to the deck. "Starflight!"

"Yeah?" the black unicorn called from the quarterdeck.

"Turn twenty degrees north. We'll go around the pod!" Tsunami called.

Starflight nodded. Lifting his horn, a violet aura engulfed the sails. With a toss of his head, Starflight trimmed all the sails, and the boat began to turn.

Twilight now noticed that there was no wheel. Not even a tiller. The boat must be controlled entirely by magic.

As the boat turned, the wind seemed to pick up, catching the sails, and the boat was propelled forward.

Twilight turned once again to face the sea. "Saddle Arabia, here I come!"

* * *

So that is chapter seven. The next chapter is what the girls get up to when they're on a boat with nothing to do.

And I am writing an angst-y Flutterdash, it's called Grayscaled Rainbow.

Please review so I know if I'm doing this right. Thank you!

I do not claim ownership of My little pony. It is a trademark of Hasbro.


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